The 2015 Louisville Triple Crown of Running (LTCOR) kicked off with the Anthem 5K in an all new course that featured a flat, Downtown Louisville map. The course for 2015 returned to Downtown Louisville after a 2014 course that became a logistical nightmare for travel to and from the race. The modified courses are a direct impact from the Ohio River Bridges Project and are expected to continue for at least the 2016 race as well.

On Thursday I was notified that I had been selected as a #bibravepro, the ambassador program for bibrave.com, hosts of the popular Tuesday night Twitter time #BibChat. To say I was excited is an understatement. When I heard about BibRave last March I immediately joined and began writing reviews. To date I have added almost all of my previous races and plan to add at least four more within the next two weeks.

Well, it is that time of the year. The 2015 Louisville Triple Crown of Running (LTCOR) has kicked off. On March 7, nearly 7,000 runners took to the streets of Downtown Louisville to embark on a 5K journey with the @Anthem5k. Each year, the LTCOR starts a march towards the Kentucky Derby Festival. The journey is comprised of the Anthem 5K, Rhodes City 10K, and the Papa John’s 10 Miler. This is my second entry into the Triple Crown and hoping to be full of improvements from last year. The best thing about the Triple Crown is the fundraising it does for the WHAS11 Crusade for Children, a 65 year old Louisville charity that benefits children with needs. Check out www.crusadeforchildren.org for more information.

The University of Louisville Alumni Association has hosted the Run for the “L” of it 5k for several years. The small turnout of less than 300-400 runners was making it difficult to continue without additional support. In 2014, JAM! Active, a Louisville based race management company took the reigns in partnerships with ULAA and promoted, revamped, and ran an “L” of a race.
The starting line was at ACC member UofL’s Football Stadium, Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium (the only school owed stadium with ALL bucket seating) and continued through the campus. The sights to be seen included the brand new state of the art Soccer Complex, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Track and Field, and Softball Stadium. Once through the sports complex, the race entered the campus and weaved in and out of buildings that brought back memories of my college days at UofL. (My wife and I went there a the same time but would not meet until after our days at UofL were over). After reminiscing our college days we exited the campus and continued towards the finish line, which was in the outfield of UofL’s baseball stadium.
The event was awesome. Double the turn out of last year with room to grow. Support was awesome, UofL Police did a great job at closing roadways, blocking other traffic, and supporting the runners. The swag wasn’t too bad either with a nice tech shirt being included (ran a little big) along with some UofL info and a shameless plug from JAM
Active’s other events.

The Kentucky Derby Festival started with the miniMarathon over 30 years ago as an additional event to the Kentucky Derby Festival, a festival of events in the weeks leading up to the infamous Kentucky Derby. This race also hosts a full Marathon as of ten years ago that is now a BQ race, caution though, the full marathon is not a walk in the park.

Jordan Ball (Cousin), me, and Kenny Ball (father)

This was my first Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and by far the largest event in terms of name and number of participants. The amount of parking within a mile of the starting line is amazing and allowed for a quick park and plenty of time to walk to the starting line. Near the corrals there were more than ample restroom facilities near each corral entrance. Corrals went from A – I and were clearly marked. For those more elite athletes in corrals A, B, and C, security was checking corral assignments to ensure the area was saved for those properly assigned.

2014 KDF miniMarathon Tech Shirts

Even with all of the racers present, my time from the rear of corral D to the start line was less than 8 minutes and the course cleared out rather easy. The course starts on Main Street in front of the old Belknap Hardware Building that Humana Insurance now occupies and continues down Main Street into West Louisville. Along the first leg, you pass the KFC Yum! Center, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Museum, and countless historical buildings of Louisville. Throughout the run, different parts of Louisville are seen, including Central Park, the University of Louisville, and entering the legendary host of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs. Once you enter the gates of Churchill Downs, the sheer aura of the historical race track helps generate a second wind. Runners see thoroughbreds in action on the track as they run through tunnels under the track. A lap around the infamous infield (where the party is at on Derby day) and then out onto Central Ave for a split, Marathoneers to the right, halfers to the left. The half marathoners return towards downtown Louisville via 3rd Street and then turn right onto Main Street. The finish line is located next to Louisville Slugger Field, home to the Cincinnati Reds Triple A affiliate the Louisville Bats.

The swag for this event is rather nice. The tech shirts are quality shirt and vary year to year on color and design. The medals are very nice, unique to the race (Marathon runners get a similar, but different medal). Overall, this was a great event and a solid course with years of experience managing the race. The marathon is a BQ event and will test your abilities midway through the run.

2014 KDF miniMarathon Finisher’s Medal

Along the half route there were eight (8) water stops, six (6) Powerade stops, and three (3) Norton’s Healthcare first aid stops. The Runners Unite area included portapots, food, drinks, and a Asics Runner Gear area to buy Asics gear with the KDF logo. Oh and they offer medal engraving!Read my review here.

Well, to catch everyone (ok no one really reads this) up, I ran the Louisville Triple Crown of Running and the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon this winter. This is my first go at all of these events. Very pleased overall. I’ll complete and appropriate review of each race and begin blogging more. I have a fun announcement regarding a race that I’ll wait to put in its own article.

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